The right (not) to vote

Posted at 4:02 PM on October 16, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Media, Politics

Should you be publicly shamed if you don't vote?

A Nashville newspaper is publishing the names of people who didn't vote in the 2004 presidential election.

"We have people over here who won't go out and vote," said Rosetta Miller-Perry, president and publisher of the Tennessee Tribune. "It's ridiculous. It really hurts."

But voting isn't a requirement and when the Constitution granted the right of people to vote, it also granted them the right not to vote.

Still, the idea achieved the results Miller-Perry wanted when it was tried in a 2006 Senate race. Turnout almost doubled.

If you have any friends in Nashville, you might be interested in seeing if they're on the list.

(h/t: David Brauer via Twitter)

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Comments (2)

They may have been quoting someone, but the gentlemen of Rush said it well when they said "If you choose not to decide / you still have made a choice."

Go vote anyway. It'll make you feel big 'n strong.

Posted by bsimon | October 16, 2008 5:08 PM

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>>They may have been quoting someone

Bertrand Russell?

Posted by JohnnyZoom | October 16, 2008 9:04 PM

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